Ask AI what to cook with what you already have

Dinner ideas start with what you already have

Instead of asking “What should I cook?”, tell AI what is in the kitchen, which seasonings you have and how much effort you feel like making. “No shopping” is a useful instruction.

The spark came from Reddit user Amberkiz, who described keeping a spice and condiment list for cooking suggestions in the linked discussion. We made our own written example; their kitchen and results are not reproduced here.

Open your usual AI chat

Use the chat app you already have, such as ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot or DeepSeek. Paste the prompt below into a new conversation and change the ingredients to yours. Start with its free chat option; this task does not need Codex, a coding setup or a new subscription.

Our example list

Four eggs, two tomatoes, a block of firm tofu, half a cabbage and uncooked rice. Oil, salt, soy sauce and black pepper. One frying pan and a rice cooker.

This is an illustrative list, not a photo or an inventory from someone’s home.

An illustrative answer

Option	Ingredients from the list	Why you might choose it
Tomato-and-egg rice with cabbage	Tomato, egg, cabbage, rice, oil, salt	A familiar rice-and-side-dish dinner
Pan-fried tofu, cabbage and an egg	Tofu, cabbage, egg, rice, oil, soy sauce, pepper	Keep the components separate
Tomato, tofu and egg rice bowl	Tomato, tofu, egg, rice, oil, salt, soy sauce	Make the topping together in one pan

In our sample answer, the third option involves fewer pan changes: start the rice, soften chopped tomatoes, add tofu, then add beaten egg and cook it through. The complete written output is in the linked example record.

The table is an illustration written with our site assistant, Codex; you do not need Codex to try the prompt. It is not a captured result from a free consumer app or a cooked or timed recipe. Your chat may suggest different dishes. The linked record preserves how the sample was made.

Check one thing before picking

Did it add an ingredient you never listed? In this example, the three options stay within the supplied list. They are alternatives, not three meals to make with the same quantities. Actual portions depend on your tofu pack, appetite and rice quantity.

If you do not like the first suggestions, ask: “Keep option three, but make it less watery,” or “I only want one thing to wash afterward.” Tell it when an assumption is wrong. Cooking time here is a target in the prompt, not a measured saving.

Keep a tiny pantry note

Save your usual seasonings as a note you can paste next time. Update the fresh ingredients, choose a suggestion and adjust it to your taste. No kitchen photo required.

Want to see how another AI handles the same request? Use the comparison guide below, and compare revisions as well as the first answer.

I have 4 eggs, 2 tomatoes, one block of firm tofu, half a cabbage and uncooked rice. Seasonings: oil, salt, soy sauce and black pepper only. Equipment: a frying pan and rice cooker. Suggest three dinners for two, aiming for under 20 minutes of active cooking, with rice cooking separately. No shopping and no assumed garlic, spring onion, sugar or starch. List the ingredients for each option and recommend the simplest.